Australian pacer Pat Cummins will not play the upcoming three-match Twenty20 International (T20I) series against India and return home to prepare for the Ashes later this year, Cricket Australia confirmed on Friday.
“Key fast bowler Pat Cummins will skip the T20 leg of Australia’s Qantas Tour of India in order to rest ahead of the Magellan Ashes this summer,” Cricket Australia said in a statement.
Cricket Australia also clarified the 24-year-old is not injured and will look to freshen up ahead of the Sheffield Shield season scheduled from October 26 to March 26 2018.
“The paceman is not carrying an injury but selectors have decided to send him home after the fifth ODI in Nagpur on Sunday week in order to freshen up ahead of the start of the Sheffield Shield season,” Cricket Australia said.
JUST IN: Cummins to skip India T20s with eye to Ashes https://t.co/FHXloXpnOG pic.twitter.com/uDasToVkIB
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) September 22, 2017
Australia are slated to play three T20Is from October 7 to 13 in Ranchi, Guwahati and Hyderabad.
Earlier, Virat Kohli & Co. thrashed Australians by 50 runs in the second One Day International at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on September 22. Team India set 253 runs target after Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat first.
In reply, Australians started off well but failed to capitalise and lost their wickets in quick succession as Kuldeep Yadav picked up the hat-trick. He became the third Indian bowler to achieve this feat after all-rounder Kapil Dev and medium pacer Chetan Sharma.
Team India is leading the five-match ODI series by 2-0. They will next face Australians on September 24 at Indore.
